


On the Credence of Fate

by The_Crab_Overlord



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Original Work
Genre: havok cult, hey girl hey again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:15:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25885678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Crab_Overlord/pseuds/The_Crab_Overlord
Summary: cre·dencebelief in or acceptance of something as true.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7
Collections: The Credence - Stories from Floor Six





	On the Credence of Fate

She was everything she ever needed to be. At least, she was at this exact moment. 

She had begun preparing for this moment at the age of ten. Ten was when you could get into the academy, for a slim chance of escaping a life of fishing. No matter how skilled she was at crabbing on the shores, or how swift she was at knotting a net, it wasn’t enough for her family. The Cormanders wanted respect, and for them, that meant having a child in the academy. 

At six you learn survival skills. First-Aid, purifying water, making traps. Little things that wouldn’t scar the young mind of a child. Not yet, anyway.

Ten is when you begin to fight. They only select from a small pool of the best candidates in Four, so they could begin combat training later. She had always done well with spears in fishing, and it translated well to the combat floor. Part of her was praying it wouldn’t have to translate anywhere else.

In her seventeenth year, she was informed she had qualified to be in the pool of possible tributes for the 70th Hunger Games. Her parents were honored at the respect it would bring their family. For Lesia Cormander, it was a sense of arrival. 

Her arrival at the town square the day of the reaping was a happy moment. The crowds cheered as the tribute candidates walked to the center of the square. She smiled, basking in the attention, until she realized the district representative was saying her name. She smiled until the Peacekeepers were guiding her onto the stage. 

“Lesia Cormander, your tribute for the 63rd Hunger Games!” A cry swept through the crowd, cheering in honor of her. She smiled back, her hands folded in front of her to hide the tremors sweeping through them. 

The hour of goodbyes was a blur. She had plenty of well-wishers. Too many unfamiliar faces. The rest of her life would be unfamiliar faces, no matter how short the remainder of that life was. Eventually, they loaded her onto the train. 

Her mentor met her at the door. She recognized her as Katea. She vaguely remembered when she had won. She remembered the rumors that flew after. He was quiet. She introduced herself as Kat, the victor of the 51st Games, a resident of Floor Five, and then got as far away from her as possible, without leaving the room. She couldn’t tell if her attitude was in anticipation of her possible demise, or in fear of her future if she didn’t.

She didn’t ask. She didn’t want to know either way.

Lesia simply smiled. This was her fate; to continue to live until death. It was too late to go back. Similarly, this was his fate; to be stuck on a train, having had trained her whole life to not die. Kat hoped that training would pay off.

As much as Katea hated this day, his tribute made it more bearable.

She was quiet, but she was nice enough. They discussed her persona. She was to be called “Transmaria.” Power from beyond the depths of the sea. She saw the flickering of discontent in her eyes whenever she said the name she would go by. Clearly, it hadn’t been chosen by her. 

Katea, strangely, wanted this one to win. She wouldn’t tell the others this, but this was the first time she thought one of his had a chance. Kat could tell that she didn’t want to be here. She faintly remembered her from when she entered the academy; a scared girl, her mother clutching Lesia’s arm to keep her from resisting. If that hadn’t changed, maybe she could win. She would be alone, but she would be alive, and that was better, at least in her eyes. 

Kat would try to be everything she needed to be, just this once.


End file.
